Toby Keith tickets for Illinois State Fair to go on sale

Tickets for the Toby Keith concert at the 2013 Illinois State Fair will go on sale Saturday, Feb. 9.

When they do, concertgoers, for the first time, will have the option to buy a special, VIP pass for the grandstand track.

The new “VIPit” ticket includes a guaranteed, prime viewing location close to the stage. Holders will be escorted to this area, which is being called the “Pit,” 30 minutes prior to the opening of all other general admission gates. However, only one thousand will be sold for each show.

“A guaranteed, prime viewing location means VIPit ticket holders no longer will have to stand in line all day to get a spot close to the stage,” State Fair Manager Amy Bliefnick said. “It’s a great value and will allow even the most diehard fans to enjoy all the attractions the fair has to offer before they go to their concert.”

VIPit tickets for the Toby Keith concert cost $65.

General admission track tickets cost $50, while grandstand seats range in price from $40 to $50.

Tickets will go on sale Feb. 9 beginning at 10 a.m. They can be purchased either online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or visiting any Ticketmaster outlet.

Superstar singer-songwriter and entertainer Keith will perform Wednesday, Aug. 14. His albums, including his most recent release, Hope On The Rocks, have sold more than 37 million copies, ranking him among the top-selling, all-genre artists on Billboard’s Top 200 Artists of the Decade. His appearance at the fair will be his second. He performed in 2002 as well, a month after his signature song, the patriotic anthem “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue,” reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.